Manchester City hero Joe Hart has plenty to shout about!

Joe Hart urged his Manchester City teammates to ride the wave of Blue emotion all the way to the title. The Blues goalkeeper said the surge of noise and joy from the City fans when Vincent Kompany headed in the winner in Monday's knife-edge derby carried the team to victory.

Joe Hart urged his Manchester City teammates to ride the wave of Blue emotion all the way to the title. The Blues goalkeeper said the surge of noise and joy from the City fans when Vincent Kompany headed in the winner in Monday's knife-edge derby carried the team to victory.

And now he wants the players and the fans to keep it rolling all the way to Newcastle next Sunday, when three points would make City huge favourites to secure their first league title since 1968.

The celebrations of last night’s win had been kept to a minimum, just as they were back in October when City won 6-1 at Old Trafford, and immediately began talking about the next game.

Measured

That time, they won the next three league games as well, and picked up victories in the Carling Cup at Wolves and in Villarreal in the Champions League.

But Hart said it is not a case of shutting out the euphoria of the supporters, but rather using it to their advantage.

“You have to ride on that wave and enjoy it,” said the Blues stopper, probably the most unemployed man in the stadium on the night.

“There is no point in being robots. You have to feel that vibe out there, and we felt the fans.

“The stadium nearly blew away when Vinny scored, and when we got the final result, and you can’t shut that out. You have to use it positively and that is what we are doing.”

But, while the City fans danced and drank into the night, Hart said the players were more measured and sober in their own celebrations of a big win.

“You could tell there are two more games,” he said. “We were pleased to win but we have moved on.

“It’s all about Newcastle now, and that is pretty similar to what happened earlier in the season when we won at United – it was a great feeling but then we had the next game.

“It’s all very well winning one game. You can’t just win one game if you want to do well. You need to win every one.

“Now we go to Newcastle to face a very tough side in a tough stadium.

“We will take ourselves and a good group of fans and with that, and the will of the fans back home, we hope we can get a good result.”

Last night’s game was predicted to be a close, tight affair, and the 1-0 scoreline and United’s late pressure might suggest that was the case.

But Hart said in the end he was just disappointed that the winning margin wasn’t bigger as the Blues carved out the better chances in an exciting second half.

“I felt we were in control,” he said. “Not me personally, because I wasn’t in the game, but we were on it last night.

“United came with a game plan and we ruined it by scoring a goal before half time.

“Then we were going to soak up the pressure and look to score again and I’m a bit gutted we didn’t win by more than one.”

The City camp has been giving off sparks all week as they built up to this game, after three wins on the trot, and the sense that United were a side which had hit a serious wobble.

And Hart was dismissive of any suggestion that it might have been otherwise.

“It was never in question that we would be up for it,” he said. “We are not little boys, we are a good team full of great players who have been involved in some big things.

“Last night was big, there was a lot riding on it and it was exciting.

“Everyone was buzzing to get out on the field and it was unfortunate only 11 could play because we have a massive squad of 24 with everyone fit, and everyone able to do a job. It was a good feeling.”

Hart, of course, is one of only two survivors from the darker days before the Abu Dhabi takeover, so he has felt the change more keenly, and is desperate to see it through to the end of what could be a historic season.

Evolved

“Me and Micah are still here, but apart from that it has been all change,” he said.

“It has been exciting the way we have evolved as a club and I am proud and pleased to be part of that.

“You live for nights like last night, and hopefully there will be many more to come in the years ahead.

“We are coming of age, but we have the opportunities, we have the right people around us, the right squad and the right fans so it’s all good.

“We deserve to be in the position we are in – we are a good team, with good players and good fans and we are going places.

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